


La Magique étude du Bonheur

by xslytherclawx



Series: toujours pur [9]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brother Feels, Dysfunctional Family, Gen, Jewish Character, M/M, Regulus Black-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-06-29 19:24:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 13,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15735828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xslytherclawx/pseuds/xslytherclawx
Summary: The hat shouted, "Ravenclaw!" and this wasn't how things were supposed to go.-In which Regulus Black finds himself in Ravenclaw rather than Slytherin.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Sharpest Lives](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15316953) by [xslytherclawx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xslytherclawx/pseuds/xslytherclawx). 



> _ô saisons, ô châteaux,_  
>  _J’ai fait la magique étude_  
>  _Du Bonheur que nul n’élude._  
>  Arthur Rimbaud, 1872
> 
> * * *
> 
> While writing _The Sharpest Lives_ , I found myself falling into the kind of funk that writing angst usually gets me in, so after a long overdue call to my own sister (the regulus to my sirius though we'd both adamantly insist the roles are switched), I decided to go with a happy AU of my own fic.  
> This is canon divergent, and also directly divergent from _The Sharpest Lives_ , and diverges at the point of Regulus's sorting. I decided on Ravenclaw because that's always been my interpretation of Regulus – drawing on his canonical depiction as someone who was clever enough to piece together that Voldemort was using Horcruxes, and who was capable of unfailing kindness (at least where Kreacher was concerned).  
> (and perhaps I'm a bit biased as a Slytherin with strong Ravenclaw tendencies myself)
> 
> * * *
> 
> This is meant to be a series of multiple fics outlining Regulus's time at Hogwarts, with occasional pieces from other characters' perspectives. Right now I've first and third year finished.  
> I'm planning on a weekly posting schedule, but that may be adjusted.  
> Many thanks to Thestias for helping with soundboarding and fleshing out the plot and characters!

Regulus felt strangely calm as he made his way to the Ravenclaw table. Perhaps he was in shock, because he really didn’t feel the desperate, frantic anxiety he ought to have at the inevitable Howler he’d get the next morning.

He sat down in an open spot, and barely even registered that Bartemius Crouch, Jr. was sorted into Slytherin, or any of the sortings that came after.

It wasn’t much later that he caught his brother’s gaze.

Sirius was making some sort of face that Regulus couldn’t read, but moments later he got up and walked over to where he was sitting at the Ravenclaw table. “Anyone mind if I borrow my baby brother? No? Great.”

And with that, Sirius dragged Regulus out of the Great Hall and down to a corridor.

“What was that?” He asked.

Regulus shrugged, still feeling strangely numb. “The hat said I was a Ravenclaw.”

“And you just went along with it?” Sirius asked. Then he sighed. “Of course you did. I’ll talk to Narcissa, make sure she’s not too scathing in her letter.”

“Mum will be angry,” Regulus said, and it wasn’t a question.

Sirius grimaced. “Look at the bright side – you’re not a Gryffindor, so you probably won’t get a Howler like I did.”

He’d known, of course, on some level, that Sirius _must’ve_ gotten a Howler when he’d been sorted into Gryffindor. A Black, in the house of blood traitors and mudbloods? Their mum wouldn’t have been able to stand it. Ravenclaw, though… there were respectable Purebloods who’d been in Ravenclaw. Not nearly as many as _Slytherin_ , of course, but it wasn’t Gryffindor, and it certainly wasn’t _Hufflepuff_.

Regulus nodded numbly. His brother clapped him on the back. “Go back to your table and make some friends. Let your big brother take care of this.”

So Regulus did. He walked back into the Great Hall with Sirius, but while Sirius made a beeline for Narcissa at the Slytherin table, Regulus made his way back to the Ravenclaw table.

“You’re Regulus Black, right?” one of the other first-years asked when Regulus sat back down.

“I am,” Regulus said, and when he tried to find Sirius and Narcissa, he found his view had been blocked.

“ _I’m_ Max Scamander,” the boy said.

And that name _did_ mean something to Regulus. Scamander was a Half-Blood, Regulus knew, but his father was one of the most famous wizards of the age. And his father had been the first wizard to capture Grindelwald, had fought actively against Grindelwald in the War… Regulus knew his mother would  have a fit if he befriended Newton Scamander’s son, but in the moment, he found he didn’t care.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Regulus said.

“Dad was in Hufflepuff,” Max said, “my older brother, too. Mum went to Ilvermorny, of course… but I can’t imagine they’ll be too disappointed about this.”

“My whole family’s been in Slytherin,” Regulus said.

“Well, not your brother,” Max said, as if this were common knowledge, and maybe it was.

Even his blood-traitor cousin Andromeda had been in Slytherin, Regulus thought idly. What did that make him?

“Anyway, this is Isaac Goldstein,” Max said, nudging the boy next to him. “I think we’re… something like third or fourth cousins.”

It was an affront, as a pureblood, to hear someone so unsure of their relation. Regulus knew the entire Black family tree by heart, and a good part of pureblood genealogy in general. Was this something that half-bloods didn’t care for?

Isaac mumbled something in a language that sounded vaguely like German, but not enough for Regulus to understand. Not that his German was much to write home about; French had been seen as far more important. But the possibility of going to Durmstrang had been there, especially after last year, so Regulus did have the basics down.

Whatever it was, Max laughed and replied in the same muddled German. Perhaps a new dialect.

“You can’t understand us,” Isaac said, and it wasn’t a question.

Still, Regulus shook his head. “I’ve only learned French and standard German.” He didn’t ask why a son of Newton Scamander would know German.

“It’s Yiddish,” Max said with a grin. “Close to German, I suppose, but my mother taught me. Wanted to make sure I could continue our heritage.”

Isaac snapped something in - in Yiddish, Regulus supposed. Max shrugged, and Regulus suddenly felt very, terribly lonely. He imagined a different timeline - the right timeline - where he was over at Slytherin table making friends and asserting his position as the most important first year.

“Okay,” Max said. “Here’s the thing. Isaac is paranoid.”

Isaac snapped something that even Regulus could understand: “Ikh bin nischt!”

“He doesn’t seem to remember that we _all_ had family on both sides,” Max continued, not paying Isaac any mind. “Besides… it’s not like _my_ family never got in with the Sacred Twenty-Eight, or what have you, and he’s fine with me.”

“You know,” Regulus said, “I really don’t want any trouble.” Not on his first night, at least.

“Nonsense,” Max said. “You’re in desperate need of friends, from the looks of it, and while Isaac can make his own decisions, I feel as if I’m absolutely up to the task.”

“Your father would be fine with you befriending someone whose cousin just married a Lestrange?”

Max shrugged. “As long as your parents would be fine with you befriending someone whose father personally contributed to Grindelwald’s downfall. We’re not our parents.”

Regulus was entirely certain that his parents wouldn’t be fine with it, but… no one else seemed to even be willing to make eye contact with him.

“Just give Isaac some time. He’ll come round.”

Regulus nodded and turned back to his meal when he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Hello again, baby brother!”

Regulus rolled his eyes but turned to his brother nevertheless. “Yes?”

Sirius leaned in and whispered, “I spoke with Narcissa. She’s agreed to highlight some prominent, pureblood Ravenclaws in her letter. She doesn’t believe dear old Mum will have the heart to send her favorite child a Howler.”

Regulus blushed and jerked away from his brother.

“You ought to write her, too,” Sirius said. “Take it from me. After the feast, sit down at a desk in your new common room with a quill and some parchment and tell Mum you’re a Ravenclaw.” Sirius glanced across the table to Max and Isaac. “I’m not sure I’d mention befriending a Scamander, but that’s up to you.”

Max frowned. “How’d you know who I am?”

Sirius grinned. “You’re a dead ringer for your dad. Anyway,” Sirius said, turning back to Regulus. “I’ve got to get back to my friends. Write Mum tonight. If you’d like, I can do it, too, and throw in some lines about how Ravenclaws are all pretentious wankers.”

Regulus blushed again, and shoved at his brother. “Go back to your stupid friends.”

Sirius ruffled his brother’s hair and then ran off to join his fellow Gryffindors.

“He seems… nice,” Max tried.

“He’s an idiot,” Regulus said, trying desperately to fix his hair. But, well, Regulus could tell that Sirius was _trying_ to help. He certainly hadn’t gone over to talk to Narcissa out of his own desire to catch up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Narcissa has a chat with Regulus.

Narcissa caught him on the way out of the Great Hall and shot a look at the fifth-year Ravenclaw prefect (he’d said his name was Steven, and Regulus rather suspected that he was a Mudblood). “I need to speak with my cousin. Won’t take a moment.”

Steven, apparently, was taking none of it. “You can speak with him in the morning, Black. I’m meant to be showing the first years how to get into Ravenclaw tower.”

Regulus saw a flash of anger behind Narcissa’s eyes, and mostly for his own self preservation, he intervened. “It’ll just be a moment,” Regulus said, trying to summon up all of his Black hauteur at once. “It’s family business.”

Steven rolled his eyes. “One minute, or else it’s ten points off Slytherin and detention for the both of you.”

Narcissa shot Steven another ugly look, but snatched Regulus and cast a muffling charm so they wouldn’t be overheard. “I’m going to write your mother about all of the prestigious purebloods in Ravenclaw’s history, but you and I both know that won’t be enough. Sirius thinks just because it’s not Gryffindor that Aunt Walburga will be fine, but she won’t. You’ll need to get perfect marks, Regulus. Make prefect, get on the Quidditch team, no detentions. And… for the love of Merlin, I hope I don’t  _ have _ to say this, but I’ll say it just on the off-chance that you really  _ are _ as daft as your brother: do not befriend any Mudbloods. I suppose Half-Bloods are unavoidable in Ravenclaw, but… Sirius and I can’t protect you from her if you do something that stupid.”

“It’s not as if I  _ asked _ to be in Ravenclaw,” Regulus snapped. “I asked for Slytherin, and the hat said Ravenclaw, and there’s no petitioning to get it set right.”

“Be that as it may,” Narcissa said, “there is no longer any room for errors from you. And once you graduate, you’ll marry a respectable pureblood girl and have children who will, hopefully, go to Slytherin.”

“I know  _ that _ ,” Regulus said. That fact had been ingrained since birth. “And Sirius said… that I should write Mum, too.”

Narcissa hummed. “Make it placating enough, and it may work. Sirius probably got more than was  _ strictly _ necessary for the sorting itself because your mother had to hear it a month after the fact from my mother.”

Regulus nodded, and Narcissa softened a bit. “Reggie, I know you’re a good boy, and I know you’ll do the family proud, but you must understand that we’re as shaken as you are by this. And your mother…”

“I know,” Regulus said.

Narcissa kissed his cheek in an almost maternal gesture. “It’s awfully drafty in the Slytherin common room, anyway. But up there, in the tower… there’s no excuse not to make the Quidditch team next year.”

Regulus nodded and went back to his group while Narcissa lifted the charm. “All done,” she said to Steven, and it was really remarkable how formidable she could seem. “Was that really so hard, now, Grant?”

Steven rolled his eyes at her. “Go back to the dungeon before I dock Slytherin house points, Black.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steven can't actually take points from another house, or give detention, but it doesn't stop him from threatening.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Narcissa's point of view of this will be covered under _Quelle âme est sans défauts ?_ which will be posted (hopefully)next week!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regulus hears back from his mother.

“I think I like your brother better than your cousin,” Isaac said from his four poster bed in their dormitory.

“They’re not all that different,” Regulus said, digging parchment, quill, and ink out of his trunk. “They think they are, but they’re not.” Which was, of course, Regulus’s way of saying that he couldn’t – and wouldn’t – choose between them. “I’ve got to write my mum,” he added. “Shouldn’t take too long.”

It was, as it turned out, just the three of them in the boys’ dormitory. This made things easier for Regulus, since he knew for a fact that both Max and Isaac were Half-Bloods. He could write his mother with confidence that there were no Mudbloods in his dormitory, at least.

Regulus took his parchment, quill, and ink and headed down to the common room. It was busier than he’d anticipated, but perhaps one good thing about Ravenclaw was an abundance of desks. He sat down at one, set himself up, and started to pen his letter.

* * *

Regulus hadn’t anticipated an owl the very next morning at breakfast, but as he sat down next to Max and started to pile his plate high with bacon and eggs (as Max and Isaac shared a look that felt an awful lot like they were making a face at him), the owl post came in, and all three of them got letters.

Regulus noticed with a start that his letter was just that – a regular letter. Not a Howler. He breathed a sigh of relief as he broke the Black family seal and started reading the letter.

_ Dearest Regulus, _

_ Ravenclaw is, indeed, a disappointment, although your father and I were pleased to hear that your dormitory, at the very least, is free of Mudbloods. We anticipate that you will be top of your class, and avoid the same kind of trouble that has apparently plagued your brother.  _

_ Do try to make good connections, and avoid Mudbloods if possible. _

_ Affectionately yours, _

_ Your mother. _

The letter was shorter than he’d anticipated, but he felt all the same as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. This had been much better than he’d ever anticipated.

“What’d she say?” Max asked, in between bites of toast.

“Ravenclaw’s a disappointment, but I should still be top of my class, be a good heir because my brother certainly won’t ensure our family continues after us.” Regulus turned his attention to his bacon. He’d have to thank Sirius and Narcissa. He was sure it would have been worse if they hadn’t intervened. “What do your letters say?”

Max pocketed his own letter. “I’ll read it after class.”

Regulus was aware that Max was doing this only for his benefit, and he felt an unfamiliar sort of warmth at the thought.

“My parents say they’re proud of me,” Isaac said, “but then they were both Ravenclaws.”

Regulus glanced over to the Slytherin table, where Narcissa was laughing with her friends, and felt a pang of envy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regulus has his first Charms class.

As it turned out, Regulus didn’t have long to wait to be surrounded by Slytherins. Charms was their first class, and the first-year Ravenclaws and Slytherins had it together.

Regulus sat next to Max again, and Isaac sat on Max’s other side. This left the seat on Regulus’s other side free… but not for long. Bartemius Crouch, Jr. slid easily into the free seat next to Regulus. 

Regulus had met Barty previously; they knew each other in the way pureblood children often did: through parties and official functions from the time they’d been old enough to sit quietly. But then, Regulus thought, he couldn’t remember ever having had a proper conversation with him. Crouch’s father had never exactly been the sort of wizard the Blacks spent a lot of time associating with, and Regulus, for his part, had never been terribly outgoing.

“Regulus Black,” Barty sing-songed. “Have to admit, I thought we’d be in the same house.” There was some edge to his voice that Regulus couldn’t quite work out.

Regulus kept his face impassive, although his stomach was flipping uncomfortably. “Barty Crouch,” he said. “It’s good to see you.” 

“Everyone’s talking about it,” Barty said, and while Regulus had assumed as much, of course, it was quite another thing to be confronted with it outright. It wasn’t as if he’d  _ asked _ to be in Ravenclaw, and it certainly wasn’t as if Ravenclaw was  _ anywhere _ near as bad as  _ Gryffindor _ .

“Have you thought, maybe,” Max said, from Regulus’s other side, “that  _ Regulus _ might not want to talk about it?”

“Oh, shove it, Half-Blood,” Barty snapped. “Purebloods are talking.”

“That’s rich, coming from  _ you _ ,” Max said. 

This was going to end badly, Regulus realised, so he acted with all the cunning he could muster in the moment. “Barty,” he said, “I’m sure you don’t want both of the heirs to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black to make an enemy of someone whose father has made a career managing the most dangerous creatures of our world.”

Barty paled at the thought. “Of course I don’t,” he said.

“And I also don’t presume that  _ your _ father would be pleased to know that you’re gossiping about Orion Black’s son.” Ministry hack or not, Barty’s father surely wouldn’t want it to appear in any way that his son was slandering the Blacks, not with who Regulus’s father was, and how much pull he had in the very Ministry which kept Barty, Sr. employed.

At that, Barty was white. “You wouldn’t write my father.”

“I wouldn’t,” Regulus agreed. “But Max’s brother works with him, doesn’t he?” Truthfully, he had no idea  _ if _ Max’s brother had ever  _ met _ Barty’s father, but Barty didn’t need to know that. “And I can’t control what Max does or doesn’t do.” He opened his textbook. “Besides… I’ve heard my brother’s developed quite a reputation for hexing Slytherins.”

Barty shot Max one last dirty look before turning away and pulling out his own textbook.

Their professor came in, an extremely small man who must have been part Goblin.

“That’s Professor Flitwick,” Isaac whispered. “He’s our Head of House.”

Regulus vaguely remembered Sirius saying something about Flitwick, although in the moment, he couldn’t quite remember what. Flitwick made his way to a stack of books at the front of the room, and swiftly climbed atop them. 

“It is always an honor to begin the year teaching first years – and from my own House, too.” Flitwick nodded toward where the Ravenclaws sat, mostly grouped together. “I am Professor Flitwick, and I will be teaching you Charms. In this class, it is of the utmost importance that you pay mind to your pronunciation and your wand movements. Charms may be seen as a soft subject by some less astute witches and wizards, but they form the basis of most of the magic we use in day to day life.”

* * *

“That was brilliant,” Max said once they were back in the dorm to collect their books for Herbology, which they had next (with the Gryffindors, which would probably be about as fun as Charms with the Slytherins).

“Aren’t you afraid of retribution?” Isaac asked.

Regulus rolled his eyes. “Barty’s father might be powerful man, but he’s only half a Black. If Barty is stupid enough to attack me… I’ll only have to say a word to my cousin.” The words sounded a lot more confident than Regulus felt. But, well, they were probably true enough. “My parents and cousins care more for the continuation of the Black line than they do offending by-the-book Ministry officials, anyway.”

“My brother doesn’t really work with Crouch, though,” Max said.

“It got Barty to leave us alone, though, didn’t it?” Regulus asked.

“I suppose,” Max said.

“Who’s to say it didn’t just put a target on your back?” Isaac asked. “And on ours, for hanging round with you?”

Regulus hadn’t thought of that. “He’ll get over it,” he said, sounding much more confident than he felt. “Besides, if it got out that he had it out for me, my cousin Narcissa would destroy him.”

“Let’s hope, for all of our sakes, that you’re right,” Isaac said. Regulus couldn’t help but agree.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First term draws to a close.

By the time Regulus went back to London for Christmas, he rather thought that Ravenclaw had been the right choice. Isaac had warmed up to him, and Max was _Max_ , and Regulus knew, really, that he ought to feel more out of place, but he didn’t. The Slytherins mostly seemed to avoid him – save Barty Crouch, who had, true to Isaac’s prediction, taken it upon himself to annoy Regulus at every available opportunity. Regulus had learnt to deal with that, and it didn’t put a damper on all of the great things about being in Ravenclaw. The common room was usually quiet, and Max and Isaac were always eager to trade books – and they treated books with respect, unlike _certain_ family members (Sirius).

Sirius, even, was outwardly friendly toward him, although Regulus didn’t see him very often outside of meal times. He had a feeling that his brother would have avoided him if he’d gone into Slytherin like the rest of their family, and, well, Regulus considered who he would have even _had_ in Slytherin, beyond Narcissa, who was in her seventh year. (The logical conclusion was Barty, which made Regulus feel deeply uneasy).

This, of course, didn’t mean that he was overly anxious to see his mother. Nor that he’d voice such thoughts to _either_ of his parents.

“We’ll probably have a New Years’ Party,” Max said as they settled into their compartment. “What about you?”

Regulus shrugged. “Inevitable Christmas party with extended family, then New Years’ Party with the best of pureblood society… all of whom know by now that I’ve failed the family by not being in Slytherin. But at least I’ve not outright _shamed_ them by being a Gryffindor.” Holidays in Grimmauld Place were always the same, and he had no reason to expect that this year would be different… or at least not drastically so. He was sure there’d be some comments about his sorting.

Isaac laughed. “That sounds like torture. I’ll probably just spend break with family. But we’re in London, too, you know. Any day but Friday or Saturday, if you want to visit…”

“If my parents allow it,” Regulus agreed. He hoped they would, but his hopes weren’t very high. Especially if Sirius decided to act up, which he most likely would. Isaac didn’t talk _very_ much about his family, and Regulus was curious. He knew Isaac had an older brother (who was a fourth year and in their house) and a younger sister, and that his father, at least, was a Healer at St. Mungo’s, but that was it.

“I don’t suppose either of _us_ stopping by is an option.”

“Best not,” Regulus said. He could only imagine Walburga Black’s face if a Half-Blood Ravenclaw happened to Floo in. Even Sirius had had the sense to avoid inviting his friends over, and his best mate _was_ a pureblood, and not _quite_ a blood traitor proper.

“We’ll write, at least,” Max said. “And you’re welcome to come to our New Years’ Party.”

Regulus managed a smile. “Thanks. Doubt I’ll be allowed, though.”

“Next year, then.”

The idea of spending New Years’ Eve with his friends instead of with his family was more reassuring than it ought to have been. He knew, surely, that other people had worse families, but his friends didn’t appear to be among them. He felt jealous for a moment, even though he knew it was ridiculous.

There was a knock at the compartment door, and Regulus turned to see his brother flanked by his friends. “Jamie boy decided to have some fun,” he said, jabbing James Potter in the ribs, “and now everywhere else is full. Do you mind?”

Regulus rolled his eyes. This was typical Sirius, and he’d wanted to spend some quality time with his _friends_ before going back home.

“I don’t mind,” Max said, the traitor.

Regulus looked to Isaac, typically the voice of reason when it came to Max’s madness, who shrugged. “Fine,” Regulus said.

“I _am_ your only brother, you know,” Sirius said with a pout as he threw himself down next to his brother.

“Oh, shove off.”

“Such common language!” Sirius cried in mock horror. “Ravenclaw has been such a bad influence on you, little brother!”

Regulus rolled his eyes. “Says the Gryffindor.”

“You’ve got me there,” Sirius said. Sirius turned his gaze then to Max and Isaac. “So you’re my baby brother’s friends, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Max said, and neither he nor Isaac protested Sirius’s usage of the phrase ‘baby brother’. They were both traitors, then.

Sirius turned to his friends. “He’s got _friends_!”

“I’m _right here_!” Regulus said. _Why_ was his brother so terrible? Isaac’s brother shared a common room with them, and _he_ never treated Isaac this way!

“Of course he’s got _friends_ , Sirius,” one of Sirius’s friends – Regulus thought his name was Lupin, with his sandy hair and brown eyes, but he wasn’t totally sure. He’d avoided being seen with Sirius and his friends as much as possible; he knew his parents surely had spies at Hogwarts. “You shouldn’t tease him so much.”

“It’s my _sacred duty_ as big brother to tease him,” Sirius said. “You lot wouldn’t understand. You’re all only children.”

“Not for lack of trying, mate,” James Potter said with a wink. “Badgered Mum and Dad until I was about eight and they finally sat me down and gave me the whole miracle baby story.”

Sirius snorted. “ _You_ , a miracle? Your parents are delusional.”

Regulus was immensely grateful that he wasn’t in Gryffindor. He couldn’t imagine having to put up with _more_ people like this, and the whole of Gryffindor house seemed to be more of the same. Ravenclaw had, really, been the right fit.

His parents, Regulus was sure, would disagree. He tried not to think too much about their reaction. It made him anxious, and he still had several hours to spend with his friends before he had to see his parents again. Even if Sirius and his friends were being loud and obnoxious interlopers.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regulus and Sirius arrive home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter does have some FB2 spoilers, but they're mostly what's been floating around for months.

Regulus, at least, looked the part of composed pureblood heir when he stepped off of the train. He said his goodbyes to Max and Isaac, and tried to ignore his brother making a fool of himself with his own friends.

Regulus walked over to his parents, who were standing a bit off to the side from everyone else with Aunt Druella and Uncle Cygnus. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked to find his cousin Narcissa.

“There you are,” she said. “I lost you as we were getting off the train. Too eager to go home, I presume?”

It didn’t take a genius to figure out why Narcissa was lying, so Regulus ducked his head and said, “Was I that obvious?”

Narcissa smiled. “Only to me. Don’t worry. Oh, Aunt Walburga, those robes look _lovely_ on you! Twillfit and Tattings?”

Regulus’s mother preened. “Yes, how kind of you to notice, Narcissa.”

* * *

The difference in Grimmauld Place was palpable. Sirius seemed to notice, too. Their parents, however, held their tongues until dinner. Regulus bided his time by starting on his homework and staying out of the way in his room. When Kreacher came to call him down for dinner, Regulus tried to shake off the ball of dread gathering deep in his stomach.

His parents and brother were silent as they took their places and Kreacher set the food on the table. It was only after his mother had drained her first glass of wine that she spoke.

“I couldn’t help but notice your new friends, Regulus,” their mother said.

“They’re both Half-Bloods,” Regulus said. “I know it’s not the best possible scenario, but…”

“But Newton Scamander’s son?”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “You’d rather your kid be buddy buddy with Barty Crouch’s kid, then?” He asked. “Cos Crouch’s kid is in Slytherin.”

“Sirius, we will address your choice in friends later, _believe_ me. Right now, we’re discussing Regulus.”

“Max’s aunt was a staunch Grindelwald supporter,” Regulus said, because he knew that much. “And his uncle…”

“We are well aware of who Theseus Scamander is,” Walburga said. “And… Goldstein, was that the other one?”

“Yes,” Regulus said evenly. “Isaac.”

“While there are certainly Half-Bloods with whom we’d allow you to associate,” Walburga said, “Those sorts of families… they refuse to give any sort of consideration to status.”

Regulus, having been friends with Max and Isaac for almost four months at that point, knew exactly what his mother was referring to. “It would be suspicious if the son of Orion and Walburga Black isolated himself. They’re the only Ravenclaw boys in my year,” Regulus said, which felt, to him, an awful lot like selling out his friends, but surely they would understand. Besides… it wasn’t as if they’d become friends out of any deeper reason.

“You need to associate with more Slytherins,” his mother said. “Perhaps not _Bartemius Crouch’s son_ , as your _brother_ suggested, but… he is, at least Pureblood, and your cousin.”

“Crouch junior is vicious,” Sirius said.

“And how much of that was because you antagonised him, Sirius?” Warburga asked.

“He singled me out,” Regulus said, “and he's had a nearly pathological drive to highlight every mistake I make – and of course I'm ensuring that I don't make mistakes, but… this one actually isn't Sirius’s fault.” It was, really, Regulus’s own, but he wasn’t about to tell his parents that Barty had it out or him because he’d defended his Half-Blood friend on the first day of classes.

Sirius looked smug. “All of the Slytherins decided against him when he was sorted,” he said. “It's not as easy as just being a polite little pureblood.”

“I'm sure Narcissa keeps the rowdier ones in line,” Regulus added, “but… by our first class together, they'd all decided against me. Believe me, Mum, I tried to make friends with Slytherins in my year –” this was not strictly true, but it wasn’t as if he’d tried to _avoid_ them, either; he was in the Slug Club with many of them “– and none of them wanted anything to do with a Ravenclaw.” And, having been the subject of Barty Crouch, Jr.’s fixation for the better part of four months, Regulus rather thought the feeling was mutual.

“Well,” his mother said softly, “I suppose no one can blame them. Have you at least been keeping up with your French? After all, at this point, I can’t imagine we’d find a wife for you in this country.”

Regulus kept his face carefully neutral. “Oui, bien sûr, Maman. Il y a plusieurs étudiants avec qui je peux pratiquer.” This was, also, not strictly true, but he had some books in French he could break out from time to time.

“Bien,” his mother said. “Et Sirius?”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Ouais, en fait James m'a invité à le rejoindre sur la Côte d'Azur pour les vacances.”

“Hors de question,” their father said. “Je refuse que mon fils soit vu en présence d'une telle famille. Je l'interdis.”

And that, it seemed, was it for their dinnertime discussion.

After dinner, Sirius followed Regulus into his room, which was every bit as decked out in emerald and silver as it had been before he’d left for school. “Might be in need of some color change,” Sirius remarked.

“What do you want?” Regulus asked.

Sirius glanced around, and, seeing nothing around to eavesdrop, shut the door behind him. “Don’t let them see how much they get to you,” he said. “And for what it’s worth… I think Ravenclaw was the right place for you.”

Regulus examined his brother’s face, but no punchline seemed to be forthcoming. “Thank you?”

“Imagine, if you’d been in Slytherin, Crouch would probably be your best mate.”

Regulus rolled his eyes and flopped, most ungentlemanlike, onto his bed. “I’d rather take Max and Isaac, thanks.”

“Even though they’re Half-Bloods?” Sirius teased.

“Yes,” Regulus said. “ _They_ don’t have a pathological need to highlight my every mistake.”

“Must be the lack of inbreeding,” Sirius said lightly. “I dunno about Goldstein, but Scamander’s mum is at least… American _and_ Half-Blood, so that probably adds to the gene pool.”

Regulus sat up. “Can I tell you something? You have to swear not to tell them.”

Sirius scoffed. “What would I ever tell them?”

“Isaac’s mum is a Muggle.”

Sirius stilled. “Muggle-Muggle, or Muggleborn, or… perhaps pureblood Squib?”

“Muggleborn, I think. Not that it makes any difference to them.”

“Remus’s mum is a Muggle. No magic, or anything. And Pete’s dad is a Muggleborn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, in FB2, Queenie is to be a Grindelwald supporter (which I've seen various places but as the film isn't out yet, I can't substantiate), and Newt's brother is a ministry man who is (at least in FB2) engaged to a Lestrange. So that's what that's about.  
> The French reads, loosely translated. "Yes, of course, Mum. There are many students I can practise with." / "Good, and Sirius?" / "Yeah, actually James invited me to the Côte d'Azur for holidays" / "Out of the question. My son is not to be seen with such a family. I forbid it."  
> (there may be some errors as I haven't taken a French class proper in over a year, and haven't had much a chance to practise, so let me know if there are errors, and I'll correct them! [edit: thanks to Crownclown for the corrections!])
> 
> * * *
> 
> I made a compilation of all of the characters (both present and future) and how I picture them, which can be found [here](https://xslytherclawx.tumblr.com/post/177888935751/i-may-have-gotten-carried-away-with-face-claims) on my [tumblr](http://xslytherclawx.tumblr.com).
> 
> * * *
> 
> I wanted to post this early in the day so I have time to finish preparing for Rosh Hashanah.  
> Shanah tova!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regulus visits Isaac and his family over holidays.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference, I've designed Isaac's family's house on the Sims, and you can see it [here](https://xslytherclawx.tumblr.com/post/178146757826/the-goldstein-townhouse-in-london).

Regulus, somehow, managed to get his parents to give permission for him to go visit Isaac at his family’s home. He knew better than to argue, and he used the Floo to go directly to his friend’s house.

Isaac was reading a book in the sitting room when Regulus arrived.

Regulus’s first impression of the Goldstein household was that it was nothing like Grimmauld Place. Where Regulus’s family home was a monument to the Black family, both living and dead, the Goldstein home was… quaint. There were no old portraits or House Elf heads on the walls, rather bookcases stuffed to the brim with books. Sunlight streamed in through the large windows. The walls – what could be seen of them – were painted a cheerful shade of light yellow.

Isaac grinned when he saw him. “Regulus! Hey!”

Regulus wasn’t sure about the overlong carpeting, though.

“How has your break been?” Regulus asked, trying not to look too visibly curious about the house.

“Boring, mostly. Miri’s had tutoring, and David’s been over his girlfriend’s all week. Mum and Dad have been working every day, too.” That was right –  _ both _ of Isaac’s parents worked full-time as healers, didn’t they? It wasn’t typically the Done Thing that a witch worked while she had children at home, but then again… nothing either Isaac’s or Max’s family did seemed to follow pureblood decorum.

“I  _ wish _ my parents had jobs,” Regulus said. “Instead they’ve decided to needle my brother and I all break. Surprised Sirius hasn’t spent all break at the Potters’.”

“Well,” Isaac said magnanimously, “if your parents are okay with it, you’re always welcome here. I’m sure my parents will love you. They’ll be back in time for dinner.”

* * *

The more Regulus saw of the Goldstein residence, the stranger it all seemed. The entire home felt warm and personal, and Isaac actually shared a room with his older brother. “That’s why David’s been over his girlfriend’s all break,” Isaac said. “We all know what they’re getting up to.”

Regulus didn’t know, but he didn’t ask. He didn’t want to seem ignorant, and, besides, Isaac hadn’t exactly started out with the highest opinion of him, even if they were friends now. He didn’t want to lose that.

“You’re lucky you don’t have to share a room with your brother,” Isaac said, sitting down on his bed.

“Sirius is a class of his own, though,” Regulus said. Sirius had been sticking up for him a lot more lately, though, but Regulus strongly suspected that this was all just for show.

“That might be true,” Isaac said with a laugh. “At least David’s a Ravenclaw.”

And David, from what Regulus had seen of him, didn’t try to be as loud and obnoxious as possible. Perhaps being loud and obnoxious was just a Gryffindor trait. It could also be that it was mostly Sirius and his friends, but Regulus doubted that.

“I’m not sure how I’d cope if Sirius and I were in the same House,” Regulus said.

“I don’t mind seeing David around the common room,” Isaac said, “but I wish we didn’t have to share a room when we got home. He  _ snores, _ and worse than you.”

Regulus actually laughed at that.

“Oh!” Isaac said, “look what my parents got me for Chanukah!”

He ran to grab a small box off of the bookshelf, and pulled out a candelabra. “It’s a chanukiah,” Isaac said. “Like Max has, only this one my grandmother smuggled out of Poland. His parents just made his.”

Regulus remembered Chanukah. The whole affair had seemed foreign to him, but it had turned out to be a lot of fun. And Max had had something similar, but sleeker and more modern. Isaac’s looked as old as half of the artefacts in Grimmauld Place, and was made of bronze.

“Smuggled out of Poland?”

“Well, you know, the war.”

“Why would Grindelwald chase your grandmother out of  _ Poland _ ?”

Isaac seemed to realise that Regulus didn’t quite understand what he was saying. “It wasn’t Grindelwald. It was mostly a Muggle war. It happened at the same time, though. I’ll loan you some books on it.”

“Oh,” Regulus said, feeling ignorant and embarrassed. And then Isaac balanced his candelabra -  _ chanukiah - _ on one hand while he rifled through some books on the shelf and pulled out three to hand to Regulus. 

“This should be a good primer, I think. They’re Wizarding experiences, too. I have some Muggle ones, but… I don’t think your parents would ever let you come over again if I loaned you those.”

“I rather think not,” Regulus said. “That’s from your, er, Muggle grandmother, then?”

Isaac nodded. “Bubbe Chava. She’s actually the one who gave it to me. She doesn’t have an owl, obviously, so David and I went to visit after we got back. David already had a chanukiah, so he got some books in yiddish. And It’s always nice to practise with them, since their English isn’t great.”

“I don’t think my grandparents would ever give Sirius or I any precious family artefacts until we were of age.”

“Well,” Isaac said, “to be fair, Bubbe said she was saving it for my bar mitzvah, but she’d thought about it and decided it would be a good thing for me to have for next year at school.”

Regulus only understood about half of what Isaac had just said, and Isaac seemed to realise this, because he said, “Bubbe is what I call my grandmother. It’s Yiddish. And my bar mitzvah – and Max will have one, too – is basically when we come of age in the  _ Jewish _ community. We’ve got to study a lot for it, but we’re both Ravenclaws. When it gets closer, we’ll have leave to go study with our rabbis. It’s just in first year that they come to us. Cos we’ve got different rabbis. Mine’s here in London, and somehow the Scamanders managed to find a Liberal shul in Dorset. We’re Masorti.”

At Regulus’s blank look, Isaac laughed. “Okay, so I guess I should start with the very basics. I always forget that gentile wizards don’t know anything about religion.”

That was, perhaps, not strictly true. Regulus celebrated Christmas, and his family had Easter dinner… but he supposed there wasn’t any real wizard Church.

* * *

By the time Isaac’s parents came home for dinner, Regulus was entirely certain that his parents would not approve of any bit of this. He was also fairly certain that Isaac believed he had more in common with Jewish  _ muggles _ than with gentile  _ wizards _ .

Isaac’s mother came home first. She was a small, round witch with dark curly hair and the same bright brown eyes as her son. Regulus’s first impression of her was that she looked warm and friendly, but he didn’t get a very good look at first. Isaac hugged her as soon as she’d Apparated into the house.

She said something to him in Yiddish, and Isaac responded, and then said, “Mame, this is my friend Regulus. He lives in Islington.”

Mrs Goldstein smiled at him and extended her free hand for him to shake. “Shoshana Goldstein.”

“Regulus Black,” Regulus said. “Thank you for inviting me over.”

“It's absolutely wonderful to meet you. Isaac mentioned you a lot in his letters, and David, too. I know Michael – Mr. Goldstein – is looking forward to meeting you, too.”

Regulus could not say the same of his parents and his friends. “I look forward to meeting him.” 

* * *

Isaac’s father was just as friendly as his mother. He appeared to be thoroughly average in appearance – average height, average build, average looks – but the very first thing he did upon arriving home was kiss his wife on her cheek, which was, from everything Regulus knew, certainly not average.

He hugged his son, and shook Regulus’s hand as he introduced himself. “Michael Goldstein. You must be Regulus.”

“I am,” Regulus said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Oh, the pleasure’s all mine,” Mr. Goldstein said. “I’m glad you could join us.” He seemed to mean it, too, which Regulus thought was odd. Mr. Goldstein leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “Honestly, I’m just glad Isaac is making friends. He’s always had a bit of a habit of trying to blend into the background.”

Regulus could see that. “Max makes sure he doesn’t,” he said.

Mr. Goldstein grinned. “Oh, of course Max does. I wouldn’t expect anything less of him.” He ruffled Isaac’s hair, and Isaac grumbled something that Regulus couldn’t quite make out. “So,” Mr. Goldstein said, “Shall we eat?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Mame" is not a typo, fyi – it's "Mom" in Yiddish.   
> I have a lot of Thoughts about Wizard Judaism, but this fic is not about that. Maybe someday.   
> If you're confused about anything, ask and I'll try to answer.  
> [Here's](https://xslytherclawx.tumblr.com/post/177888935751/i-may-have-gotten-carried-away-with-face-claims) how I picture most of the cast to look.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regulus celebrates Christmas.

Regulus didn't want to go back to Grimmauld Place when the time came, but he knew his parents would be furious if he stayed past his curfew.

Sirius was playing exploding snap in the drawing room when Regulus came back. He took one look at Regulus’s face and grinned.

“Yeah, that was how I felt the first time I came back from visiting James. Wanna play exploding snap?”

Before, Regulus would have refused, because their parents certainly wouldn’t approve, but now… “Let me just put these books Isaac loaned me in my room, first.”

“Ravenclaws are all swotts,” Sirius said. “Go to your friend’s house to have fun, come back with _books_ …”

* * *

For Christmas, Regulus received books on the history of Slytherin House and a new broomstick from his parents. It was a Nimbus 1001, which had just been released the previous summer.

“We expect that you’ll make the Quidditch team next year,” they’d said.

From Sirius, he received a full pound of Honeyduke’s chocolate (although Regulus wasn’t quite sure how his brother had procured it), and a hat and scarf in Ravenclaw colours. Their parents were less than impressed with that, but it had only seemed to spur Sirius on.

Max sent him an advance copy of his father’s latest revision to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, with a personal dedication signed by the author.

Isaac gave him a book he’d never even heard of – about Wizarding Jewish traditions – with a remark that, “since it seems like Max and I are stuck with you now, and maybe you shouldn’t be confused at every other thing we say.”

* * *

The Christmas party was held at Grimmauld Place, and Regulus was dreading it. He put on his dress robes, which were a very _Slytherin_ shade of emerald green, and tried not to look too miserable. He thought about his presents, which he could return to after the party, and tried to focus on the fact that he’d get to see Narcissa, who always doted on him.

He started reading through the book Isaac had gifted him as he waited to be called down. It was definitely more interesting than he’d anticipated, but then Regulus had learned that both of his friends had a gift for finding interesting books. Perhaps it was part of being a Ravenclaw. Whatever it was, Regulus loved it.

Kreacher appeared in his room with a crack, and Regulus marked his page.

“The Mistress requests Master Regulus’s presence in the drawing room.”

“I’ll be down in a moment, Kreacher, thank you,” Regulus said. “I’ve just got to put my book away.”

Kreacher bowed and disapparated, no doubt to move on to the far less pleasant task of informing Sirius that it was time for the Christmas party. Regulus put his book back on the shelf and started down to the drawing room on his own. He knew, as far as his family was concerned, that it was better to appear more distant from Sirius than he was.

(That, and he really didn’t feel like dealing with Sirius’s moping when he was already miserable).

Narcissa was playing a sonata on the piano while their parents listened, seated on the sofas. Bellatrix and her husband stood by the windows.

No one seemed to take any notice of him as he entered the room, and he didn’t make any attempt to draw attention to himself. He stood by one of the bookcases and listened to his cousin play.

It seemed like Kreacher had been biding his time until Narcissa had finished her sonata, because mere moments after she’d finished, Kreacher appeared with Sirius, who was at least in dress robes.

“Kreacher has brought Master Sirius.”

“Thank you, Kreacher,” their mother said.

Narcissa turned to Regulus, and went up to hug him. “Reggie, how has your break been?”

“He’s been visiting his _Half-Blood_ friends,” Walburga said.

There was a flash of something behind Narcissa’s eyes. “Have you, Reggie?”

“Just one of them – he lives just in London.”

Narcissa hummed. “I didn’t become close with most of my friends until second year,” she said. “And besides all that, I have a present for you.”

“Cissa, you spoil him,” Bellatrix said.

Narcissa smiled radiantly. “Of course I do. We’re two of a kind.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a small present, wrapped in silver paper with green ribbon.

Regulus looked to his parents for permission to unwrap it, and they nodded their consent. He took the gift from his cousin and deftly unwrapped it to find a handsome black leather-bound journal with the Black family crest embossed in silver.

“Thank you,” Regulus said, turning the journal over in his hands.

“You can use it for whatever you’d like. Class notes, ideas that you don’t want to forget… it doesn’t need to be a _journal_.”

“It’s lovely, Cissy. Thank you again.” But it was meant to be a private journal, and Regulus could see that. He assumed it was enchanted in some way, but knew better than to ask in front of their parents. “Do you mind if I go put this away in my room?” he asked his parents.

His father grumbled his consent, so Regulus went to do so. He hoped Narcissa would tell him what was so special about the journal once they were back at school.

* * *

Uncle Alphard had arrived while Regulus was putting his books away, and Sirius was turning over a bright red gift in his hands when Regulus got back to the drawing room. Uncle Alphard turned, then, to him, thrusting a bright blue package into his hands. “Happy Christmas, Regulus.”

“Honestly, Alphard,” Regulus’s mother said, before Regulus had a chance to thank his uncle. “You didn’t need to get either of them anything.”

“I’m aware that I didn’t _have_ to, Walburga,” Uncle Alphard said. “I wanted to. I’ve the money, and who else am I going to give gifts to?”

Walburga turned her gaze to her sons. “You will open that after dinner. Alphard has left us waiting long enough.”

Regulus nodded and tucked the gift into his pocket, thankful that it was small enough to fit, as he followed his family down to the dining room. He caught Uncle Alphard’s wink, and wondered just what was in the shiny blue wrapping paper.

The blue was meant to be a slight to Regulus’s parents every bit as much as Narcissa’s silver and green-wrapped gift had been meant to appease them. He knew that what was inside the package likely wasn’t as important as the wrapping.

That didn’t mean that he wasn’t curious to see what was inside.

Dinner was a tense affair, but with his cousin Narcissa and Uncle Alphard there, his parents weren’t too critical. That said, they seemed entirely too focused on Narcissa and Bellatrix, and had apparently decided to disregard Regulus and Sirius altogether… but Regulus found he couldn’t complain.

* * *

Regulus wore the hat and scarf Sirius had given him on the way to King’s Cross. Even if it visibly annoyed his parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kind of all over the place but I think it works?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regulus meets Max's family

The semester passed in a similar manner to the one before. Regulus, Max, and Isaac spent a lot of time together in the library and in the common room. Max showed off the Kneazle-cat mix his father had gifted him for Chanukah, who he’d named Thalia. “She’s very smart,” Max said. “And Kneazles are great at knowing when people are trustworthy – mixed with a cat, I don’t need a permit.”

Sirius teased him whenever he saw him, but it was decidedly affectionate (still annoying). Regulus thought he was starting to learn Sirius’s friends’ names, and wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.

Crouch did seem to have an almost pathological obsession with catching Regulus in a misstep, but Regulus didn’t give him any opportunity.

He was forced to endure the Slug Club with Crouch, but Max was there, too, so it wasn’t too bad. Besides, Slughorn played favourites, and it didn’t hurt his grades to butter him up.

Near mid-February, on the way back from a Slug Club dinner, Max asked Regulus, “Would you want to come over for our Passover seder? I’m not sure your parents will allow it, but… Mum and Dad asked me to invite you, and I think you’d enjoy it.”

Regulus considered it. “I think I could convince them. Slughorn’s doubtlessly been writing home praises.”

Max grinned. “Great! I’ll write them and let them know, and you can ask your parents!”

* * *

Regulus received a letter nearly a week later at breakfast from his parents and tore into it. He skimmed it and bit into a sausage. Then he read it again. And again.

“They said yes?” he said. He couldn’t quite believe it, but there it was written in plain sight, _You may visit your friend over Easter, however, we fully expect that you spend the majority of your holiday at home._

Max looked at the letter over his shoulder. “Oh, brilliant! I’ll write Mum and Dad after Potions; they’ll be delighted! They’ve already met Isaac, of course, but they really want to meet you.”

“They were… a lot,” Isaac said.

Max grinned. “That's them!”

Isaac leaned across the table to stage whisper to Regulus, “They make Max seem _normal_.”

“He’s not wrong,” Max said. “But you’ll love them – and they’ll love you!”

Regulus wasn’t sure what kind of people could make Max seem _normal_ , but whatever they were like, it had to be better than spending the whole break at Grimmauld Place. Besides, Max always spoke highly of his parents, so no matter how eccentric they were, they were due at least to be kind. Regulus wasn’t about to turn his nose up at kind.

“We mostly keep vegetarian, only Mum will sometimes have some kosher meat. I’m sure if you’d like, we could get meat for you, too, just only no pork.”

Regulus shook his head. “I’m sure vegetarian will be fine.”

Max smiled. “Great! I’ll let them know.”

* * *

The rest of spring term passed by quickly after that. Regulus dragged his friends to the Ravenclaw-Slytherin game, because, as much as he loved Narcissa, he knew better than to try to root against Slytherin in front of her friends. Max seemed to get bored halfway through, but Isaac, at least, chanted and screamed along with him, and commiserated when they lost.

He seemed to be doing well in all of his classes, and he even managed to hold conversations with people who weren’t his brother, his cousin, or his two friends. (Perhaps that wasn’t much, but it felt like a lot to him at the time).

Before he knew it, it was time to board the Hogwarts Express back to London, and he was helping Max corral Thalia into her carrier. He focused on getting to meet Max’s parents and getting away from his own for a while to avoid the terrible sense of dread welling in his gut.

His brother was off with his friends, doubtlessly trying to plan a way to avoid spending as much time at Grimmauld Place as possible, and Regulus couldn’t fault him for it.

“Reg, it’s going to be _so great_ to have you over,” Max said. “I’ve got _so much_ to show you!”

* * *

And so, on the agreed-upon day, miraculously, Regulus found himself being collected by Max and his parents in Diagon Alley. His mother had insisted upon this, most likely so she could have someone spy on his first interaction with Newt Scamander. Just because Regulus didn’t see anyone he knew to be close with his parents didn’t mean that he was wrong in this.

They met outside of Florean Fortescue’s ice cream parlor, and Regulus recognised Max and his parents immediately. Max’s parents were both tall and thin – which made Regulus realise he likely wouldn’t be the tallest of his friends for long. They were both considerably older than Regulus’s parents, and older than Isaac’s had been, too, but Regulus had known that. Newt Scamander had sandy hair which must have been more vibrant at one point, and blue-green eyes. Max’s mother – Regulus knew her name to be Tina, if only from the book – had black hair streaked with grey and dark brown eyes.

More than anything, they looked like exactly the kind of people his parents would hate: kind, caring, and decidedly not invested in Pureblood politics.

“Mum, Dad,” Max said, “This is my friend Regulus.”

“Regulus Black,” Regulus said, offering his hand for Newt to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. And thank you for the book.”

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Regulus,” Newt Scamander said, and to his credit, he actually appeared to be telling the truth. “And as for the book – that was nothing! Max has seen the manuscripts; he’d have told you everything regardless. And please – do call me Newt.”

It turned out, the Scamanders were in London in part to pick up their oldest son, Jacob, and his family.

“Max is glad he doesn’t have to ask the four questions this year,” Tina Scamander confided.

“Mu-um!” Max whined, but he didn’t deny it. No one stopped to explain what this meant, and Regulus certainly wasn’t about to ask.

Regulus had thought, perhaps, that with Max’s parents being considerably older than his own, that they would somehow be more poised and proper than Isaac’s parents, not _less_ . He hadn’t expected carbon copies of his own parents, but he also certainly hadn’t expected _this_. The Scamanders were warm and affectionate, and while, perhaps, knowing their son, that ought to have been a given, they didn’t seem to be treating him any differently than they did Max.

They met Jacob and his family at The Three Broomsticks. Max, apparently, spotted them immediately, and grabbed Regulus by the hand to bring him over to meet them.

Jacob Scamander was nearly as tall as his father, and thin, with unruly dark hair and freckles. His wife, who introduced herself as Shira, was small and dark and spoke with an accent Regulus couldn’t quite place. Their daughter, Regina, was probably all of four years old, if Regulus had to guess, and talked constantly.

All in all, the Scamander family made Regulus even more aware of what his own family lacked, but he didn’t have long to dwell on it. They were quickly off to Dorset, via Floo.

The Scamander home wasn’t quite as quaint and cozy as the Goldstein home, but it still felt miles warmer than Grimmauld Place. Regulus, stepping out of the fireplace and vanishing the soot, wondered why his parents had let him do this. They made no secret for their contempt for Newt Scamander, with his staunch support for Dumbledore. What’s more, the Scamanders (save Newt himself) were Half-Bloods.

He tried not to question it, but something told him his parents didn’t have his best interests at heart.

“Here!” Max said, “Reg, let me show you my room!”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regulus and Max discuss books and family

Max’s room was bigger than Regulus’s own, and where Regulus’s room was organized and tidy, Max’s room was a jumble of books, clothes, and toys. Having shared a dorm room with Max for half a year, Regulus wasn’t entirely surprised that Max was so messy, but he _was_ surprised that Max’s parents apparently allowed this.

Rather than address this, Regulus asked, “Where is Shira from?”

“Oh, she’s from… well, I think she was _born_ in Egypt, but she grew up in Israel. She’s also a Magizoologist, like Dad and Jacob.”

“Oh,” Regulus said.

Max hummed and started digging through one of the piles of books. “Sorry about the room,” he said, “Mum and Dad told me I should clean but… well, Dad’s the same way, really. He’s only organized when it comes to creatures.”

Knowing Max, Regulus could believe this. And, well, Regulus was sure that Max was charming enough to get out of most sorts of trouble. “Found it!” Max said, delicately maneuvering his books to get to the one he wanted.

“Why don’t you just use magic?” Regulus asked.

“We’re not allowed outside of school,” Max said, as though it were obvious.

“Well, yes, but the Trace can’t pick you up when you’re in a place with a lot of magic.” Such as in a house with four of-age adults.

“Maybe,” Max said, “but I don’t want to risk it. Besides, Mum and Dad always say there’s merit in learning to do things the Muggle way.” He handed the book over to Regulus.

Regulus looked it over. _A Complete History of MACUSA_. Definitely not something he’d read before.

“Mum used to work there, you know, and my Aunt Queenie.”

Regulus nodded. “Have you ever been? To the States, I mean. Not MACUSA.”

Max shook his head. “No. _Isaac_ says they have aeroplanes now that can cross the Atlantic in a few hours, but… Mum and Dad are a bit old-fashioned. I’ve only been to the continent. And Wales.”

“I’ve not been, either,” Regulus said, “although I don’t suppose that’s surprising.”

“No,” Max agreed. “It’d have been more surprising if you _had_. For all their attitude, the Pureblood elite don’t seem to want to do anything outside of their bubble.”

Regulus hummed in agreement.

“You know, before Regina was born, Jacob used to go on all kinds of wild adventures. I don’t know how he was a Hufflepuff, really. Sometimes he still does, only then Mum and Dad watch Gina for him. He’ll send me back gifts, but one time he came back with Shira. It was a bit of a shock for Mum and Dad, Jacob coming back with a fiancée, but, well, you met them. They loved her right away.”

“For the most part,” Regulus said, “we… don’t really get to pick our future spouses. On the off-chance we find someone of an appropriate bloodline before our parents do, maybe… Narcissa’s almost certain to go ahead and marry Lucius Malfoy, and our family certainly didn’t put her up to that, but Bellatrix’s wedding was arranged, as were our parents’.”

“Don’t you have another cousin?” Max asked.

“Had,” Regulus said. “She ran off with a Muggle… maybe he was a Muggleborn, it wouldn’t have made any difference. My mother even went and blasted her off the family tree.”

“Well,” Max said, “if my options were marry into the pureblood elite, or run off with a Muggleborn… I know what I’d pick.” He realised after the words were out of his mouth how they sounded. “No offense, of course, Reg.”

“None taken. My family wouldn’t marry me off to another wizard.”

“I’ve wondered,” said Max, in a strangely restrained tone that Regulus caught onto immediately, “what your lot thinks about that.”

“About what? Arranged marriage? Or wizards marrying other wizards?”

“The second one.”

Regulus shrugged. “It doesn’t happen,” he said. He’d never really thought on it, but he knew that every pureblood wizard married a pureblood witch.

“So there are _no_ gay purebloods?” Max asked.

“Pureblood wizards marry pureblood witches,” Regulus said. “It’s not a matter of sexuality, but of duty.”

“What about just… not marrying, in that case?” Max asked.

“Well,” Regulus said, “I suppose… now that I think on it, my Uncle Alphard’s never married, but he’s… a bit… off.”

“Is he off because he’s _gay_ or off because he’s actually _strange_?”

The words died in Regulus’s throat. He’d never really considered it. Hadn’t Uncle Alphard lived with Dorian Rosier until just around when Regulus was born? “I… I don’t know,” he managed to say, finally. “Mum says he’s mental, but… I suppose… it’s possible…” After all… two adult pureblood wizards living together wasn’t exactly _done._

“No offense, Reg, but that sounds absolutely miserable. It’s like you don’t have any choice at all. I told my dad I don’t want to be a Magizoologist – and he said he and Mum would support me no matter what I decide to do. And as for who I’ll marry – or _if_ I’ll marry – they just want me to be happy. They hadn’t even _met_ Shira before Jacob proposed.”

Regulus considered how his family would react if he told them he wanted to play professional Quidditch, or even work a Ministry job… let alone _not_ marry the witch they chose for him. He’d be lucky not to get disowned.

He didn’t say as much to Max, because how could he even begin to bring up the topic of disownment to someone with such a warm, close, and loving family? Max, to his merit, seemed to notice Regulus’s change in mood, and grinned. “Anyway,” he said. “Wanna see if we can get Shira to teach us some Hebrew spells?”

“ _Hebrew_ spells?” Regulus asked.

“Most of ours are latin,” Max said, “because the witches and wizards that came over with William the Conqueror – along with centuries of British rule – stomped out all the native spells and magic. But _Shira’s_ family has lived in the Middle East for thousands of years, and she knows all kinds of Hebrew spells, and even some Arabic and _Aramaic_ she picked up. I always try to get her to teach me.”

Regulus was _certain_ his mother wouldn’t approve of that, but he didn’t care. The allure of learning new, rare spells he’d never learn at school was too much to resist. “Okay,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost to the end of first year!  
> Second year is completely written, just pending title and completion of this fic!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regulus attends the Scamanders' Passover Seder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that my Hebrew goes to the extent of prayers and liturgy, and so I've relied on language chats to verify the Hebrew used in this chapter - that said, if I'm incorrect, please correct me!

“Shira!” Max called as he led Regulus through the house. It was smaller than Grimmauld Place, but it felt much warmer, and Regulus wondered how much of that had to do with the family living there.

“In the kitchen!”

Max rolled his eyes. “If I get fat when I’m older, Reg, know it’s because I’ve got a Jewish mum and a Jewish sister-in-law who feel the need to stuff me full of delicious food every chance they get.”

“Duly noted,” Regulus said.

Max took him by the hand and dragged him down the stairs and into the kitchen. At home, Kreacher cooked all of the meals, with limited supervision from Regulus’s mother. In the Scamander household, it seemed, everyone cooked… everyone, that was, except for Max and his niece.

All four of the Scamander adults were in the kitchen, all of them cooking.

“Do you need a snack before the seder?” Mrs. Scamander asked when she saw them come in.

Regulus could see how Max lit up at that. “Yes, please, Mum, but Reg and I wanted to see if Shira could teach us some Hebrew spells.”

Shira wiped her hands on her apron and ruffled Max’s hair. “I would _love_ to, _ahava shelli_ , but perhaps after the Seder?”

Max pouted. “But what use is having an Israeli sister-in-law when she doesn’t teach me Hebrew spells?”

Shira laughed. “Would you rather have a Hebrew spell _now_ , or would you rather have ta’miya and shakshuka for dinner?”

“Ta’miya and shakshuka,” Max said without any hesitation. “But you’ve _got_ to teach us something tonight, because Reg doesn’t know _any_ Hebrew spells.”

“After the Seder, _ahava shelli_ ,” Shira said, and she kissed Max on the forehead. “Okay?”

“Okay…” He turned to Regulus. “We can play with Regina after our snack? She’s only four, but she can be fun. She really likes it when we read to her.” He leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, “Let’s see if we can’t make her into a Ravenclaw, too.”

* * *

Regulus settled in to his seat beside Max at the table. There was a strange, round plate in front of Mrs. Scamander, and Mr. Scamander – Newt – said to Regulus, “Perhaps this won’t be as traditional a seder as the one the Goldsteins are sure to have, but we’ve had to modify it here and there. Most notably, as Tina has obliged my habits, the shankbone has been replaced with a beet.”

“There should be a shankbone,” Max supplied at Regulus’s poorly disguised confusion, opening his book and pointing to an illustration, “to represent the paschal lamb, but we don’t eat meat, so years ago Mum and Dad arrived at a compromise of using a beet.”

Regulus nodded, although he still wasn’t sure what, exactly, was going on.

Mr. Scamander and Jacob helped Mrs. Scamander get everything ready, and Regulus was surprised to find a goblet of wine poured for him.

“It’s for the Seder,” Mrs. Scamander said, although she poured grape juice for Regina. She went to her place, and smiled at them. “Shall we begin?”

Regulus was confused, and there was a lot of what he was informed was Hebrew, but Max helpfully explained everything under his breath. There was a lot of _singing_ , and everyone but Regulus seemed to know all the words.

It felt like two hours later that they actually got to eat, and the food was absolutely delicious. Max explained that _most_ seders didn’t have such a mix of foods, “but Shira’s from Israel, and Mum’s family came from Eastern Europe, so we’ve got a mix, and it’s all _really_ good. I swear, the House Elves at school need to learn how to cook like this. I don’t even miss _bread_. Mum always spoils me.”

“I keep telling you, Mum,” Jacob said, “you need to teach him how to cook.”

“I’ll teach Max how to cook when he can make eggs without burning them.”

Max blushed. “It’s not my fault! I thought I heard a Krup!”

“Regulus, had you ever been to a Seder before?” Shira asked, tactfully changing the subject.

Regulus shook his head. “No. This is my first.”

“The Scamanders have an interesting way of doing things,” Shira said. “The first time I heard _Monarch_ , I thought perhaps my English wasn’t as good as it should have been.”

“Traditionally,” Max said, “everyone refers to God as male during the Seder – Lord, King, et caetera – but Mum and Dad don’t like that.”

“If we’re not to create an image of God, how are we to know whether God is male or female? Or either, for that matter?” Mrs. Scamander asked.

Regulus didn’t think he believed in any god at all, and certainly not the one the Scamanders did, but he supposed he saw their point.

“Mum and Dad also like to honour the matriarchs, which you _wouldn’t_ see at Isaac’s house, believe me. I went over last year, and first of all, theirs goes even _longer_ than ours, but then they don’t even mention the matriarchs. It’s all ‘our fathers’ this, and ‘Abraham, Isaac, Jacob’ that. There’s no mention of the matriarchs at all, and none of us would exist without them.”

“We hold that women are just as capable and worthy of note as men,” Mr. Scamander said, “but having met my wife, I’m sure you realise that.”

“It’s not necessarily that the other way is outdated and sexist,” Mrs. Scamander said. “It’s more traditional, and many families value that tradition. My sister and I didn’t grow up very connected to our culture, so it was easier for us to adapt what traditions we held to be more inclusive.”

Regulus had no clue who the matriarchs were (he could determine from context that they were, well, _matriarchs_ , but beyond that, he had no idea), and he didn’t ask.

“You’d never find another Seder like ours anywhere in the world,” Max promised.

He’d never find another _family_ like theirs anywhere in the world. Parents who loved and respected each other, who spoiled their children, a family that cooked together, that was so physically affectionate… Regulus had never seen anything like it before, and it made him dread going home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought at first about writing out the whole Seder, but decided in the end that it would be needlessly long, and it's not as if Regulus would understand most of it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regulus spends the night at Max's house.

That night, although the Scamanders had a guest room that was offered to Regulus, Regulus and Max had decided that he’d spend the night in Max’s room. Max had cleared off all of the various creature plushies so that there was room for two of them.

“I can’t believe your parents let you stay the night,” Max said as he threw his robes unceremoniously on the floor and rifled through his wardrobe for pyjamas.

“I think,” Regulus said, “they want to convince me I’m on their good side. So that I’ll do what they want when the time comes.”

“That’s depressing,” Max said, deciding on some pyjamas with a demiguise print that vanished into the blue background just like the real creature and throwing them on.

Regulus changed out of the clothes he’d packed, and folded his own robes neatly before pulling on his own pyjamas, which were a very Slytherin shade of emerald silk, and very boring, especially when he compared them to Max’s.

Max crawled into the bed, not bothering to pick his robes up off of the floor. “Well,” he said, “my parents officially adore you, so should you ever need it… you’re always welcome here.”

Regulus got into the bed, unsure of how to respond. He was certain no one in Slytherin would make the same offer… assuming there was someone in Slytherin with a better family than his, which he supposed was within the realm of possibility. “Thank you,” Regulus finally managed.

“Of course,” Max said, as if he’d done something as simple as lend him a spare quill in class. He turned to face him. “Now, as I understand it, this is the part where we spend the whole night talking like we _haven’t_ been sleeping in the same room for the better part of six months.”

The idea sounded too good to be true. “So what do we talk about?”

“ _Anything_!” Max said. “Like, okay, how uptight Isaac can be – he’s my friend, and I love him, but he needs to learn how to have _fun_!”

Regulus didn’t know what to think about Max throwing the word “love” around so casually, and while he knew he shouldn’t focus on that, he couldn’t help asking, “You _love_ him?”

“Of course I do,” Max said, with nothing but earnestness on his face. “He’s my friend. I love you, too, you know.”

He couldn’t think of the last time someone had told him they _loved_ him. It would have had to be Sirius, because his mother surely hadn’t said it within his living memory, and Narcissa was careful to keep a certain distance in their relationship. And even Sirius had never said he _loved_ him so matter-of-fact. “Oh,” Regulus said.

“Not – not in a _gay_ way, or anything,” Max said, a little too quickly. “You’re my _friend_. And I… of course I love you and Isaac. Just like I love my parents and Jacob and Shira and Gina. I mean, of course, I love you _all_ in slightly different ways, but… the point remains.” He brushed a lock of Regulus’s hair back from where it had fallen into his face, and something about how gentle he was made something deep within Regulus physically ache. “Let me guess,” Max said quietly, “love is _so_ foreign a concept in the House of Black that you can’t remember the last time someone told you they loved you.”

“Something like that,” Regulus managed without feeling too vulnerable.

“Well,” Max said, “in the _Scamander_ household, we tell people we love that we love them, and often. And we’re a very affectionate people. As you may have noticed.”

“It’s not that I think my parents _don’t_ love me, or that my brother doesn’t love me. I know they do, but it’s not… something we _say_.” If he were honest, though, Regulus _didn’t_ know his parents loved him. Not really. He was an heir, a continuation of the once great and most noble and ancient House of Black, and he knew he’d been _wanted_ , but he couldn’t say with certainty that his parents loved _him_ , and not just the continuation of the family line. “We think… it sounds soft.”

“There are loads of worse things to be than _soft_ ,” Max said. Regulus realised idly that Max’s hand was still in his hair, and Max didn’t appear to be about to move it. “And love isn’t being soft, besides.”

Regulus was certain his parents would disagree, but the Scamanders _all_ seemed much happier than Regulus could ever fathom his own family ever being, so maybe there was some truth to what Max was saying. “We don’t really… touch, either. Narcissa kissed my forehead after I was sorted, and she hugged me in front of our parents when we got off the Hogwarts Express for Christmas hols, but that was a show.”

“You don’t hug?”

Regulus shrugged, and Max carded his fingers idly through Regulus’s hair. It felt _nice_ ; it was relaxing, somehow, and made Regulus feel safe and warm and cared for.

“Does it bother you, then, that I’m so… touchy?”

Regulus realised, then, that Max would stop if he asked, no questions asked. The thought of Max no longer touching him made him feel lonely. “Not at all,” he said honestly. “It’s just… a bit strange, at first. Something I need to get used to.”

“But you want to get used to it?”

“Absolutely,” Regulus said.

Max smiled. “Then I’ll keep being as touchy as I like, and you tell me if I do anything to make you uncomfortable.”

“That sounds lovely,” Regulus said.

“And I really do want you to tell me. I care about what you want, you know.”

Max was one of the few who did, Regulus rather thought. “I know,” he said.

“Good,” Max said. He kept on playing with Regulus’s hair, and he apparently decided to move on to a new topic, “so lately, I’ve been thinking about becoming a Curse Breaker… it sounds interesting, doesn’t it?”

“Sounds _dangerous_ ,” Regulus said.

“Yeah,” Max agreed, “maybe you’re right. I’ve got loads of time to decide. Maybe I can just become a rabbi instead.”

“That’s the… teacher one, right?”

Max smiled. “Yeah! I mean, now, rabbis are clergy, so there’s that, like, you lead services and meet with congregants and it’s a _lot_ of reading and writing.”

Reading and writing and talking to people. It sounded perfect for Max, and Regulus told him so.

“Thanks! You should come to services, once, just to see. Ours are mostly in English, so you’d be able to follow along. It’s not like… I’m not trying to _convert_ you, or anything, but considering your two best friends are Jews, it might help you understand why we are the way we are. A little.”

“I think my mother would have a heart attack,” Regulus said. “At least if I asked outright.”

“Mm, then someday, once she decides to grant you some more freedom,” Max said. “Reg, I don’t mean to sound strange, but your hair is _really_ soft, and it’s so nice to play with.”

“Is it?” Regulus asked.

“Yeah, here, feel mine.” He took one of Regulus’s hands with his free hand and placed it in his hair. Max’s hair was coarse and wiry, which Regulus supposed he ought to have been able to discern from how it looked, but it was nice.

“Your hair’s nice, too,” Regulus said, unsure of what else to say.

“Agree to disagree,” Max said. “And anyway, have you got any idea what you want to be when you’re older?”

“Oh, I don’t need to,” Regulus said. “Sirius won’t take on the role of head of the family, so I’ll inherit that. Maybe work some Ministry desk job for a few years.”

“But what do you _want_ to be?” Max asked. “It’s me. You can tell me.”

Regulus shrugged. “I never thought much on it. Why should I?”

“Because you’re a _person_ , and you’ve got free will, and even if you agree to marry whoever your parents pick – which is bollocks, honestly – you should still be able to _do_ something you enjoy.”

That sounded too good to be true. “Maybe,” Regulus said. “But my parents won’t see it that way.”

“I know you think you’ve got to be the perfect son because your brother won’t be… but you don’t have to be. You don’t owe them anything more than basic decency.”

Max didn’t understand. His father was a Pureblood, sure, but the Scamanders had _never_ been like the Blacks. But then again… Regulus was one of the last two Blacks. His parents had had a multitude of cousins; when they’d been in school, there had been too many Blacks to count. Now…

“I’m not saying you need to reject everything they stand for,” Max said. “But you should look at what you need – what makes you happy, too – and maybe… adjust the traditions slightly to make them fit you. Trying to adjust yourself to fit the traditions will just make you miserable.”

Really, Max had a point, but what was Regulus supposed to do? He was eleven years old, and already had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’d never been given a choice in what he wanted in his life, and he didn’t have to worry about the future because it would be sorted out for him. That was his reward for giving up his say in the matter, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to risk an uncertain future for doing what he wanted. Whatever that even was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finally finished my guide of all the characters in this series – up through the end of third year, which is what I have written right now. You can find it on my tumblr [here](https://xslytherclawx.tumblr.com/chars), but be aware that it does include spoilers in character descriptions. You can even sort them by house, gender, sexuality, blood status, allegiance (once the war picks up), and more.  
> There's one more chapter to go! And then I'll take a week break – perhaps posting a oneshot or two in the series – before going on to start posting second year!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the end of the school year.

It was easy, once Regulus got back to school, to not think about the long stretch of summer with his increasingly distant parents, and his brother who couldn’t just sit down and deal with it quietly. Narcissa and Uncle Alphard wouldn’t always be there to support him, after all, and he knew it was something he had to learn how to deal with on his own.

He was sufficiently distracted, for a while, by classes and homework and Quidditch matches (even though Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw, and even  _ Max _ agreed that it was a great injustice, though he hadn’t seemed invested in the match itself). Half of spring term was spent in the library, studying for their exams (Regulus and Isaac studied, mostly, while Max  _ tried _ to study but always seemed to get bored and insist, in the end, that he was going to pass anyway).

At the end of year feast, the Great Hall was decked out in red and gold, because Gryffindor had won the House Cup, but Regulus was far more focused on his friends. Max, for his part, was focused on the food. “It’s not as good as Mum’s, of course, or Dad’s, for that matter,” Max said, mouth half full of pumpkin pasty, “God, I’ve missed their cooking.” He stuffed another pumpkin pasty in his mouth.

“You eat more than anyone I’ve ever met,” Isaac said, with an expression that was a cross between disgusted and intrigued, “and that  _ includes _ Regulus. How are you still so skinny?”

Max threw his free arm around Regulus’s shoulders. “We’re  _ growing boys _ , Isaac. And it’s not my fault both my parents are fantastic cooks.”

Max’s parents  _ were _ great cooks, and Regulus could attest to that, but he wasn’t too eager to go home, or even talk about going home, so he decided to change the subject. “How do you think you did on exams?

“I think I did  _ abysmally _ in Charms,” Max said. 

“I’m sure you did fine,” Isaac said. “I’m not sure about my Astronomy exam, though…”

Regulus found Astronomy to be very easy, but he knew better than to say as much to Isaac. “Neither of you are about to  _ fail _ anything,” he said instead. “Besides, not everyone grows up having to find their name star in the night sky.”

It had always made Narcissa furiously jealous, of course, that even her littlest Black cousin had a star in a major constellation while she was a  _ flower _ . It was a story that always made Sirius howl with laughter, and he would, of course, because he and his brother both had star  _ systems _ to their name, which Sirius loved to lord over Narcissa. No wonder she’d never much liked him, really.

“That’s  _ got _ to be brutal,” Isaac said. “But you’ll help me out more with star charts next year, won’t you?”

“Of course,” Regulus said, although Blacks weren’t meant to  _ help _ anyone. He didn’t care; Isaac and Max were his  _ friends. _ “And we’ll both help Max out with Charms if he needs it.”

Max grinned. “I knew I was friends with you two for a reason: Charms help.”

* * *

Regulus really didn’t want to go home, back to Grimmauld Place with his parents and total lack of freedom and his brother picking fights, but he forced himself to think of the positives. He could always write to his friends, after all, and Max and Isaac had already sworn to him that they’d all go shopping for school supplies in Diagon Alley together. They just needed to sort out the particulars.

“David’s due to be insufferable,” Isaac said as they packed their trunks. “He’s all but a shoe-in for prefect, and either way… it’ll be nice to have someone besides Miri there to kvetch to.”

“We still need to teach you yiddish,” Max said to Regulus at that. “You already know German; it shouldn’t be that hard.”

Isaac rolled his eyes. “Er iz a goy,” he said, which… well, Regulus understood he was being talked about, but “goy” was not a word he knew at all. He knew Isaac was his  _ friend _ , so it can’t have been  _ too _ bad.

“Nu? Er iz nokh undzer fraynd.” Regulus knew enough to know that Max was defending him, and felt a rush of warmth. “And  _ someone _ decides to lapse into yiddish at random. If you didn’t do that, we wouldn’t need to teach a goy yiddish.”

“Und,” Regulus said, unable to stop himself, “ich kann schon ein bisschen verstehen.”

“See?” Max said with a grin. “Er ken farshteyn a bisl.”

“Fine,” Isaac said. “I’ll try to stop, but no promises. I’ll be seeing Bubbe and Zeyde a lot this summer.”

“And if you don’t stop,” Max said, “we’ll teach Reg enough yiddish to get by.”

It was something that would horrify his parents to no end, and Regulus took a small pleasure in it. He didn’t even mind that Gryffindor won the House Cup, even if it meant Sirius would be gloating and looking for a fight with their mother all summer.

* * *

They found a compartment to themselves on the Hogwarts Express, and Sirius and Narcissa both deigned to leave them alone. Crouch was nowhere to be seen, and Regulus didn’t give much thought to where he might be. David stopped by, for all of ten seconds, to check in on them and say goodbye to Max and Regulus. Mostly, though, they were left in peace.

They ate chocolate frogs (Max ate four in the space of an hour) and traded books last minute and promised to write each other weekly. Regulus revelled in these last few hours of freedom with his friends, and by the time the train pulled into King’s Cross, he actually felt that maybe summer wouldn’t be so bad.

Of course, then he actually caught sight of his parents on the platform, and he realised how terrible the summer would be. He made a resolution to keep his head down and spend most of his time in his room and to avoid doing anything to upset his parents. Two months, after all, was a long time, and at the end of it… he’d get to go back to Ravenclaw tower and be with his friends again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap on year one!  
> Year two will be published starting sometime in the next week or two - it'll be its own fic, so be sure to subscribe to the series to avoid missing it!
> 
> * * *
> 
> Thank you for reading this far, and if you enjoyed it, please let me know what, specifically, you liked (and what you'd like to see more of).   
> Constructive criticism is also welcomed, although do keep in mind that this is meant to be a silly fluffy AU and not really all that serious.


End file.
